Alleged rapist 'needs a rest'
2008-08-14 22:05
Cape Town - Complaints of a severe headache from serial rape accused Tsediso Letsoenya brought his trial in the Cape High Court to a sudden halt on Thursday.
Letsoenya has pleaded not guilty before Judge Abe Motala and assessors to 104 charges, which include 39 of rape and 33 of indecent assault.
When the proceedings began on Thursday, defence counsel Nehemiah Ballem told the court he had instructions to apply for a postponement for a few days.
He said Letsoenya had complained that he was "sick to death of hearing the same stories about himself over and over".
'Tired of case'
Ballem added: "He approached me this morning - he's tired of this case, and wants a postponement to have a rest."
Prosecutor Heather Meyer opposed the postponement, saying some of Letsoenya's alleged victims were lined up outside the courtroom, waiting to testify about their ordeals.
Meyer said the witnesses were highly traumatised, not only because they would have to relive their ordeals, but also because they had to be present at court and wait their turn to be called to the witness stand.
The judge refused the postponement, saying the case had him working late into the night each day.
He was however willing to allow Letsoenya a longer tea adjournment, to give him more rest, he said.
Raped in a ditch
When the hearing reconvened after the tea break, Ballem told the court that his client now complained about a serious headache and needed rest.
Because the criminal courts at the Cape High Court do not sit on Fridays, the judge postponed the case to Monday.
At Thursday's proceedings, which lasted about an hour, a teenage girl told the court how she was raped in a ditch on a Friday night.
She said she this happened after Letsoenya allegedly raped her cousin.
- SAPA